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Monks are not the same
thing as priests. A monk promises his life to God,
and the monastery is where he seeks and finds him.
A priest is ordained to serve the wider Church and
to build up the family of God in parishes and in
other forms of witness to the Gospel.
In his Rule, St Benedict
said that the Abbot may ask the Bishop to ordain
monks to the priesthood to serve the needs of the
community. |
A
monk who is ordained a priest is in no way released
from his vows, but he exercises his priesthood as
part of the life and witness of the monastic community.
St Benedict says a monk priest should use the priesthood
to grow even closer to God.
A monk priest will celebrate
Mass, hear confessions etc. like any other priest,
but he always maintains his commitment to the monastic
life in community. Because of our traditional work,
at Downside most of the community are ordained priests,
but this is not always the case. The Abbot makes
the decision who should be ordained. However, all
professed monks have an equal voice in the community
and share fully in its life and work.
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